I’m building a small cabin. I bought mostly used wood clad aluminum window that came complete, ready to go into the rough opening. I say mostly because there is one exception: for the kitchen window I needed something small, but i couldn’t find anything the right size, used, in a decent price range. I should mention here that one of my parameters was No Vinyl Windows because, well, I think they are ugly.

Anyway, so the window I found was a small (12”x18” maybe) double-pane deal. It came out of a recent-vintage functional awning window. But what I got was only the actual window – the stiles, rails, and pane. It needs me to build a jamb for it and hang it before installing it.

I assumed the information about how to build my own frame/casing/jambs for the window wood be easy to find – it was a common on-site job until relatively recently. But all the info I’ve found is about a million articles on how to do interior or exterior TRIM for a window. Compounding it is the fact that I don’t quite know what he hell what I’m trying to build/find pictures of on the interwebs is actually called. Is it the jamb? The Jamb and stool? the casing?

Most of it I get, and would feel pretty comfortable doing on my own, ‘wing-it’ style, except for what in a door you would call the threshold – the part that goes across the bottom from side to side, bridging the wall gap and forming the flat (bevelled) bottom surface of the installed frame – what the window sits on, and its stop is mounted to.

Any info that will help me figure out what the hell I’m doing – especially a link to an article with drawings – would be greatly appreciated.

Try searching google images for “window sill”. Some diagrams label the various pieces so you will know the proper names of the pieces you need to mill and install, then you can ask better questions for additional help.